Splicing for rafter draining members



. Sept. .17, 1929. P, L, MCKE; 1,728,689

SPLICING FOR RAFTER DRAINING MEMBERS Filed Dec. :51, 1927 V F/m/Zpp L. JWc/ree,

Patented Sept. 17, 1929 UNITED STATES PHILIP L. MQKEE, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS SPLIGING FOR BAFTER DRAINING MEMBERS Application filed December 31, 1927. Serial No. 243,807.

My invention relates to roof structures particularly for greenhouses, and the general object of my invention is to provide an improved splicing joint for roof bars, particularly for roof bars of greenhouses whereby a roof bar sufliciently long to extend from the ridge polethe entire width of the sloping roof may be provided by splicing together two or more shorter pieces of this roof bar.

In the construction of greenhouses, the panels of glass are supported by roof bars which extend from the ridge pole in a downwardly inclined direction the entirewidth of the greenhouse on each side of the ridge pole. These roof bars are constructed so as to carry the glass panels at their upper portions and are provided with drain grooves at their lower portions and preferably immediately above their connections to the purlins upon which they are supported and to which they are fastened. These roof bars are necessarily Very long to correspond with the width of I the sloping roofs of the greenhouses and it is 7 not practicable, from a commercial standpoint, to provide continuous pieces of wood for these roof bars. Hence, it becomes necessary to splice or fasten together two or more shorter sections to form a continuous roof bar which. of course, makes a cheaper construction. In the formation of these splices much difliculty has been experienced by the improper drainage of water of condensation which collects on the under surfaces of the glass panels of the roofing.

These spliced joints are generally. located directly at the purlins and considerable difhculty has been experienced bythese splicing joints due to the fact that the water of condensation coming from the under surface of the glass panels and also the drain water running along the drain grooves of the roof bars, had a tendency to run along the lines of splice of the roof bars wherebyto cause dripping of this drain water into the greenhouse below or to cause it to flow improperly and flow and drip along the purlins and cause their rusting and unsightly appearance.

One of the objects of my present invention is to provide a splicing for the roofb ar wherein the linesof splice [are constructed, and arranged so asto drain the water down the drain guides of the roof bar and positive-j 1y prevent the water ofcondensation and. drain water from following the" lines of splice and from draining or dripping upon or across the purlins. g

These and other objects .of my invention will be apparent froma perusal of the fol:

lowing specification when taken in 'connection with the wherein I v Fig. 1 is a, view through a portion of a greenhouse roof showing the manner in accom an in drawin s H b t a 7 which one of "the inclined roof bars is spliced together and connected to a purlin; I

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of two pieces of roof bar detached and somewhat. spaced apart; and i Fig. 3 is a sectionon line 3%3 of Fig. l.

In the illustrated form of my invention, the roof structure ,showsone of the roof bars as extending in an upwardly inclined direction as is well known in the art, and this roof bar in the present instance'is formed of two sections 2and 4 spliced together in accordance with my invention',

and the spliced jointis rigidly andfirmly held in assembled" position by means of a metal clamp 6 embracing the lower sides of the two sections 2 and 4 directly at the spliceyand this clamping member 6 is' provided with perforations through which pass bolts 8 in turn passing through holes 10 in the sections 2 and. 4; whereby the clamp 6 on the splicedsections 2 and 4:, is securely 1 bolted in position. In addition, the clamp6 mounted upon the cross purlin 16. This provides a very firm and simpleassembly.

(The mam featureof my present ln'vent on resides in thespllcing arrangement of the two sections 2 and 4c of the roof bar. As is well known in the art, the roof bar is provided on its opposed sides near its lower portions with draining grooves 20 and 22 along which the water of condensation or any leakage water will run downwardly to discharge at convenient points at the lower portion of the greenhouse, These drain grooves are most important since water of condensation collecting on the under surfaces of the glass panels 24, will, collect at the upper portions of the roof bars and will run downwardly there-along into these drain grooves, and it is very important that the water in these drain grooves 20 and 22 and any water of condensation or leakage water, he directed wholly down the grooves and .that'itnot be permitted to leak onto or across the .purlins or other cross beams and thereby drip into the greenhouse and at the same time defacetand rust the purlins.

In carrying out my improved splicing arrangement, I provide the lines of splice in such a manner as .to takefull advantage of the angleof inclination of the roof bar sections '2 and 4 together with the arrangement and location ofthe drain grooves '20 and 22 thereon, and also the manner in which the glass panels 24, or anysash members carrying these glass panels, are mounted upon theroof'bar. For instance inreferring to the drawings it will be seen that I provide a sort of Z-splice line wherein one of the outer legs of thesplice,designated at 26, extends from a pointr28 outwardly and this point 28 is that point at whichtheglass panel 24 seats-on the flangeBO formed by a neck 32. and it willlalso be;seen that the adjacent line of splice .34 extends from this point28 to a second point 36 ina forward direction, that is, in .the opposed direction relative to the first line of-splice 26. In a similar'manner a thirdline of. splice 38 runs in a direction opposed .to theline of splice I 3a or somewhat parallel tolthe line of splice 26 and this line 38 terminates at the point 4:0 at the lower edge ofsection 4:. The point 36 is located directly atthedraingroove either 20 or 22, depending upon the. side of the roof bariupon which it is located. Particular attentionis directed to the fact that the roof 'bar'sections 2'andi4, when assembled, are arrang'ediin inclinedposition relative'to the horizontal and thiszarrangement is particularly controlling with reference to the lines of splice '26, '34, and -38and with referenceto thedraingrooves20 and 22 and the angle of inclination of the .pa'nelsf24; because, as thus arranged, when water condenses on the-under side of the panel 124 as shown in Fig. 1,'th is water will creep along the under surface of the'p'anel and not contact with the top: portion of. the roof bar and deflected by this splice line downwardly into one or the other of the drain guideways 20 or 22. If it attempt to flow along the splice line 26, it will be carried along the upper face of the panel 24E. So also, when the water flowing on the outside of the panel 2% strikes the splice line 26, it will be directed forwardly and downwardly and will not flow backwardly or rearwardly because it will not flow uphill as the direction of inclination of the splice line 26, as seen in Fig. l, is forwardly and downwardly and, therefore. the water cannot flow in the reverse direction in this line 26 because to do so would be to have the water flow uphill. In a like manner the water which fiows along the drain grooves 20 and 22, when it strikes the junction 26 of the splice lines 34 and 38, will continue to low downwardly throughthese drain grooves and will not. flow backwardly orrea-rwardly along the splice line 38 because to do so would be to compel this drain water to. flow uphill. By reference to a horizontal line it will be seen that the inclination of the two splice lines 26 and 38, when combined with the angle of inclination of the sections 2 and 4, would be in an upward or uphilldirection. Hence, it will be seen that by reason ofthe peculiar arrangement of spliced lines which form the spliced joint of the two sections 2 and 4:, I

have provided a construction which will constantly and uniformly deflect the drain water or water of condensation into the drain grooves 20 and 22- and will prevent ,it from flowing to any other vpartof the'roof barand hence will prevent it escaping along the splice lines and dripping onto the purlins.

The 3I6S8I1t construction is adaptable to any type of roofconstruction or greenhouse construction wherein it is desired to drain the water, and it is likewise adaptable to various portions ofa greenhouse roof construction irrespectively of whether or .not the glass panels 724 are mounted directly upon the roof bar, asshown herein, or whether such glass panels 2% are mounted in the sashes of ventilating windows and which windows rest upon the flanged shoulders 30 of theroof bar, as for instance at that portion of the greenhouse construction which is adjacent the ridge pole.

Having thus described my inventionwhat I claimras newand desire to secure by Let ters Patent is .1. In a roof construction for a green house, the combination of ,a purlin, two roof bar sect-ions each having opposed drain guides along their sides and opposed $110111", ders at their upper portions for the. reception'of window panels, said sect-ions having abutting spliced ends and lying at a downward inclination with respect to a horizontal plane, means holding said sectionsZ in assembled relation andconnected to a purlin, said sections having abutting lines of contact forming the spliced joint and which lines of contact are constructed and arranged so as to uniformly direct the drain water into the drain groovesof the roof bar.

2. Two roof bar sections adapted to form a spliced joint, each of said sections having a drain groove and a shouldered port-ion for the reception of glass panels disposed above said drain groove, said two sections having their abutting ends terminating in complemental splice faces adapted to be clamped together, said splice faces of each section comprising an intermediate face terminating at its upper end at the panel shoulder and at its lower end at the drain groove, and comprising an upper face terminating at one end at the upper face of the sections and joining the shoulder end of the intermediate face, and comprising a third or lower face terminating at the drain gutter at its inner end and at the lower face of the sections at its lower end.

3. Two roof bar sections adapted to support window panels at their upper portions and provided with longitudinally disposed drain grooves on their sides, said ends terminating in complemental, angularly disposed splice faces the lowermost forward portion of said splice faces terminating in the drain grooves.

4:- In a greenhouse construction, the combination of a purlin and a roof bar secured thereto and lying at an inclination to the horizontal, said roof bar having longitudinally extending drain grooves and being adapted to support window panels above said drain groove and said roof bar having a spliced joint formed by intersecting faces, one of which inclines downwardly and forwardly and terminates in the drain grooves, said other faces being disposed at an upward inclination with respect tothe horizontal plane.

5. In a roof construction for a greenhouse, the combination of a purlin and a roof bar mounted thereon and connected thereto and lying in a downward inclination withrespect to a horizontal plane, said roof bar having longitudinally extending drain grooves, and being shouldered thereabove to receive the glass panels, said roof bar be ing composed of sections having spliced abutting ends composed of angularly disposed faces, one of said faces being downwardly inclined with respect to a horizontal plane and terminating at the drain groove, and another of said faces connecting with l the upper end of said first mentioned face and inclining downwardly and forwardly, and a third face connected with the bottom portion of said first mentioned face and inclining rearwardly and upwardly.

6. In a roof construction for a greenhouse,

the combination of a purlin having a flat face disposed at a downward inclination with respect to a horizontal plane, a channel-shaped metallic clamp bolted to the inclined face of said purlin, two roof bar sections having spliced ends composed of. angularly disposed abutting faces nesting in said clamp, bolts passing through each of said sections and through said clamp to fasten said sections in assembled position, each of said sections being formed with opposed longitudinally extending and registering drain gutters on each side of the sections and above said clamp and each of said sections aving shouldered upper portions for the reception of the transparent panels, said spliced faces abutting to form a drain line extending from the upper shouldered portion downwardly and forwardly to the gutters.

7 A spliced roof bar construction for a greenhouse roof, comprising two roof bar sections spliced together and lying at a downward inclination with respect to the horizontahand provided with longitudinally extending drain gutters, window panels carried by said sections, a portion of the splice for said sections being arranged to extend from the under surface of the panel in a downwardly forwardly inclined direction which terminates in a drain" gutter whereby to drain the water of condensation fromthe windows into said gut-ters.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto sub-,

scribed my name;

I PHILIP L. MoKEE. 

